Chapter 110: Rescued

Pfft… Finally unable to bear the intense pain inside, he spat out a mouthful of blood. In that moment of relief, his body, overwhelmed by the severe injuries, could no longer stand. With a groan, accompanied by a crisp sound, Dark Dragon Rod supported his own body as he gasped for breath.
The danger was finally over—the Earth Bear had escaped. Perhaps this was the only thing worth being grateful for. Living was better than dying; with life, there was hope.
“Huff… huff…” He breathed heavily, the bloodiness in his eyes gradually fading, returning to its normal black and white. His eyes were filled with exhaustion. His body was visibly recovering rapidly—the bulging muscles and meridians slowly smoothed out, returning to normal in just a short while, losing their grotesque appearance.
Once everything returned to calm, a pain and exhaustion several times worse than before struck him. Unable to endure it any longer, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground. In the next moment, he fell heavily!
He felt the world spinning around him—the forest before his eyes rotated rapidly. His mind went blank; he had no thoughts. All he wanted now was to lie down and sleep properly. His exhaustion even overshadowed the pain.
“No, master! You can’t fall asleep here!” The voice of the Sword Spirit echoed inside him, but Rod had no mood to pay attention. He was too exhausted. His eyelids grew heavy as if weighted with lead, and he couldn’t keep them open. Without any thoughts, he soon fell into deep sleep.
“Damn you! Don’t you know how dangerous this place is?” Feeling this situation, the Sword Spirit complained and roared loudly in Rod’s mind. Yet it was all in vain—Rod couldn’t hear it at all. Even if someone were to beat him severely right now, he probably wouldn’t wake up.
If anyone could see the sleeping Rod at this moment, they would surely stare in shock. The scene was terrifying—Rod’s entire body was covered in a strange layer of blood. Blue-tinged blood, like tiny droplets, covered every pore of his skin. It seemed as though thousands of insects were writhing inside his body, causing his body to rise and fall constantly. Even in his sleep, his face was slightly distorted, with occasional groans escaping him.

The situation lasted for dozens of minutes before calm was restored. By then, Rod was still fast asleep, unaware of the changes that had taken place. His clothes were torn and covered in blood, giving him a pitiful appearance. His face was slightly pale, and his breathing was very faint; anyone who didn’t know him would surely think he was dead.
…
“Rod is over here…” A cry of surprise!
“The Earth Bear has left! This isn’t good—his condition is critical. Hurry and help him up!”
“No, he’s on the verge of death. His breathing is getting slower. The injuries are too severe—both external and internal. I think all his internal organs have been badly damaged!” Two other voices came through, filled with tension and shock.
“We can only try this. Hopefully it will work. Good thing we had an extra one at home this time!” The owner of the second voice murmured solemnly.
Immediately afterward, he felt his mouth being forced open, and something was stuffed into it. A faintly cool liquid spread from his mouth to his throat and then down into his stomach.
“It’s the Spirit-Strengthening Pill—the best healing medicine in the continent these days!” The man, who had been sighing all along, knelt down, took out a small box from his bosom, and opened it. Inside was a black pill. If Rod had seen it, he would have recognized it right away—it was the very thing Kiro had given to the old man to save his life.
“Will it work?” someone asked anxiously.
“I’m not sure, but I’ve heard it’s very effective. If even this doesn’t work, I really can’t think of anything else in this world that could save him!” Another sigh came from a man, his expression worried. With such severe injuries, anyone else would likely be dead by now. It was a miracle that this guy could still hold on. The Spirit-Strengthening Pill was indeed a miraculous healing potion, but not so miraculous as to bring the dead back to life. The outcome still depended on the recipient’s physical condition and perseverance—especially perseverance. There was nothing else to do but pray silently that this guy could hold on strong.
“What kind of battle did he go through? He managed to defeat the Earth Bear, known as the strongest and most fearless magical beast!”
Looking at Rod before him, with his terrifying wounds and pitiful state, a voice murmured to itself.

“Healing spell!” A delicate cry was heard, and instantly a cool sensation spread throughout his body. He felt enveloped in it—a wonderful and comfortable feeling, just like being in his mother’s arms. The pain in his body gradually subsided under this effect, diminishing significantly in no time.
“Stop talking nonsense. It’s dangerous here. Take him back first!” A clear voice came after a moment; it was a woman’s voice, pleasant to hear.
While asleep, Rod felt several people approaching him. After some conversation in front of him, he faintly heard the earlier dialogue. Then he felt his body lifted, hovering in the air against a warm back, moving forward rapidly amid jolts.
Hmph… The jolts made his injuries even more painful. He couldn’t help but let out a muffled groan. Even with his consciousness blurred, such pain was unbearable for him.
“Be careful—he can’t stand the jolts!” The woman’s voice came again, tinged with tension and urgency.
A warmth spread from his abdomen, quickly filling his entire body and penetrating every inch of his skin and flesh. The remaining trace of combat energy in his body seemed to be drawn along, automatically flowing through his meridians. Along with that cool energy, it circulated through every cell. The cells began to move slowly, as if nourished by sudden rain. Like parched land irrigated with water, they slowly swelled and began to repair themselves instantly.
In a short time, he felt much better, especially in terms of his internal organs, whose vitality he could clearly sense returning. His heartbeat gradually stabilized and strengthened. Though still slow, it was much better than before. His breathing also became stronger, no longer so weak.
“Where am I? What place is this? What’s going on? Where exactly am I?” As his condition improved, Rod found himself in a dark world. It was quiet here, with nothing around—pure emptiness. There were no boundaries, as if in a time-separated space, with him standing in the center.
“Master, you’ve finally made it through. That’s great! You’re out of danger at last!” As Rod was filled with confusion, the Spirit of the Xuanyuan Sword spoke excitedly.
“I was so scared! I thought you were really going to die. If that had happened, I wouldn’t know how many more years I’d have to sleep!” The Sword Spirit said anxiously after letting out a sigh of relief.

“Cough, cough, cough… Should I have mentioned my worries earlier? Going through such a long detour… Oh right, where am I?” With some complaints, he quickly remembered that he was in a strange place he had never been to before—a void-like area. If he remembered correctly, he should have fallen into a coma after driving away the Earth Bear in the Warcraft Forest. So how—how did he end up here?

Oh right, he had vaguely sensed someone approaching earlier, then heard some voices, along with a cold aura. It seemed he had eaten something that helped his body recover quickly.

What exactly was going on? At this moment, countless doubts swirled in Rod’s mind, yet he couldn’t figure them out.

“This is your consciousness space. This time, you were truly severely injured. If those people hadn’t given you that pill, you probably wouldn’t have made it. You know how dangerous this time was? Your internal organs were displaced, you had internal bleeding, your muscles were severely damaged with countless cracks, and even bone fractures. It’s a miracle you survived at all. That Spirit-Strengthening Pill is indeed a sacred medicine!”

Recalling what had happened, Xuanyuan sighed inwardly. It was indeed too dangerous. Thankfully, this guy’s body was already abnormal; otherwise, he might really have died this time.

“The Spirit-Strengthening Pill… It was Kiro. Were they it? Did they save me?” The first thing that came to mind when thinking of the pill was Kiro. He would never forget that incident in his life—the old man’s crisis, the appearance of the Spirit-Strengthening Pill. Wasn’t that pill Kiro’s property?

“It was them. Well, luckily, during this battle, your body suddenly unleashed a powerful energy. But it also led to serious consequences. Your body couldn’t bear the strain, causing such severe internal injuries. You’re very weak now, so I summoned you to this consciousness space so you can train properly here. Your strength is really insufficient—you can’t even defeat a bear. It would be too embarrassing if others found out! Train here for a few days. Your body needs time to recover. I believe those kids will take good care of you. Don’t worry—just focus on training!”

“This training will mainly focus on your sword skills, close combat techniques, and control of your combat energy! Only by completing these trainings can you better master your combat energy and skills, giving you a better chance of winning in similar situations in the future!”

Perhaps this incident really scared the Sword Spirit, so after stopping the previous conversation, it quickly said that its master was far too weak in this world and needed to be strengthened. More chances to survive would also ensure its own safety; it didn’t want to return to that dark space after less than a year of being out to wait for tens of thousands of years again.